At nightfall
A clear sky, in the middle of lavender fields, the Universe belongs to me.
Booking confirmed, a perfect weather and adapted clothing, direction the Plateau d'Albion, just a few kilometers from Apt on the old missile launch area created by General de Gaulle during the Cold War.
At 1100 meters high, the SIRENE Observatory is a perfect setting for astronomical observation : pure sky, far from any light pollution, a 360 ° view, fine technology and high-end instruments. Lagarde d'Apt is also a "5-star" laureate of the National Association for the Protection of the Sky and the Night Environment. It's summer and filled with lavender fragrance.
A head full of stars, ...
What is a star ? A planet ? The sun ? The Great Bear ? Under the wise guidance of a professional and after a hearing the military site story and presentation of the instruments, the sky opens to me.
To the naked eye first, I learn to find my way among the constellations, with the various astronomical instruments next, I discover "in live" our Solar System and the planet Saturn surrounded by its rings, and then the deep sky, a globular cluster containing hundreds of stars, a planetary nebula and its dying star, the Andromeda galaxy, next to the Milky Way.
So much to discover, ... Time passes here at the speed of light.
With a head full of stars, I land back to Earth after a nice trip on the paths of space.
